Letters

She’s made her way in a quietly heroic manner: through obstacles most of us never need to confront, and toward an informed personal authority and self-possession that will allow her to matter—deeply—to others for the rest of her life.

Surely, one of the reasons garnet was chosen as a Swarthmore color was because garnet mines were common in the area. This semiprecious stone was commonly used as an abrasive—to smooth out the rough places and make them shine. Very pertinent to our experience as students.

My boss and mentor, Andrea Packard ’85, showed me “To Her, With Love” (summer 2018) and encouraged me to add my own tribute, as I have much to say about Kaori Kitao.

Each Swarthmore women’s soccer player has the opportunity to go on one international training trip during their four years to explore another culture and further promote gender equality in sports.

I was one of her “lost lambs” who struggled from one department to another until Kaori and her colleagues in the Art Department welcomed us with open arms. She was willing to create a curriculum that met the department’s requirements and was tailored to my own interests.

To quote Sonia Sanchez H’18 at Commencement, “The day is walking towards us and I say give us the spirit, O Lord, O my sisters and brothers, to put on our eyes and forever let us be in the eyelash of your memory, where there is always the precision of young men and women sewing themselves into th

Your generosity resulted in more than $6.3 million to help change lives and change the world. Thank you!

+ lifechanging.swarthmore.edu